Poverty Point in northeastern Louisiana is the largest and most complex known Late Archaic earthwork and ceremonial site in North America, built by Indigenous people between about 1700 and 1100 BCE. Its influence extended across much of the southeastern woodlands, and its immense scale suggests it served as a settlement, trading center, and ceremonial complex. The site is defined by six unique concentric C-shaped ridges surrounding an engineered plaza, along with several mounds, including the massive Mound A, raised with remarkable speed. Later cultures and the plantation era also left traces there, adding to its long history of use.

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Pioneer, Louisiana · USA